Conventional cellular network technology has been used for many years to connect wireless devices such as phones, laptops, etc., to a landline network and other wireless networks. Today, such wireless networks support many different types of connection services such as voice communications, high-speed data services, WI-FI connectivity, and so on.
Conventional cellular networks typically include a land area that has been divided into so-called cellular regions. A single base station typically resides in each cell. The base station is connected to a land-line network and supports communication with one or more wireless subscribers operating in a region covered by the cell. Accordingly, a wireless subscriber is able to communicate with a landline through a wireless link between the subscriber and a base station.
A subscriber may move in the wireless network environment. In order to provide continuous connectivity to a wireless subscriber, conventional base stations facilitate a handoff of the link to a neighboring cell in the event that a subscribers moves out of one cell and into another.
In general, as the traffic demand in a wireless network increases, it is possible that the cell size (or radius of communication) will continue to shrink as more and more small cells with short range of coverage may be needed to offload a macro network. Having a multi-layer network with short-range cells and long-range cells imposes some challenges for the handoff performance.
More recent wireless technology includes so-called pico base stations. Conventional pico base stations typically provide short-range wireless coverage compared to conventional long-range base stations. As an example, a pico base station may provide radial coverage on the order of 200-300 meters. A long-range base station may provide wireless coverage on the order of a mile or more. It is now becoming more common to implement one or more pico base stations within a wireless region supported by a long-range base station. The long-range base station hands off a respective link to a pico base station if a wireless subscriber is in a vicinity of coverage provided the pico base station. Handoff of a wireless device and link to the pico base station frees up RF bandwidth associated with the long-range base station.